Mike White's ‘The White Lotus' Has Become Much More Than A TV Show

Forbes

07-04-2025

Everyone is dying to check in at The White Lotus. As fans know all too well, some leave in body bags, but the promise of a lavish travel experience makes it worth the risk.
The White Lotus has gone from a popular television series to a phenomenon with fans seeking to live the extravagance seen on the show.
Though creator Mike White does an incredible job of keeping viewers guessing as to who dies each season, in real life, it's the lure of these gorgeous resorts and exotic locations that people are looking for.
Season three saw White's brilliant social satire set at an exclusive Thai resort over a week. He has a way of tapping into the human experience like no one else. He writes, directs, and executive produces every episode. This is unique in Hollywood wherein most shows have a team of writers and directors, but he does it all himself and he's a genius at it.
Immediately following the first season set in Hawaii, which premiered in July of 2021, the show received 20 Emmy nominations across 13 categories, with ten wins. That was the most wins of any series that year. The second season, set in Italy, which premiered in December of 2022, followed with 23 Emmy nominations and five wins.
This show is life and career-changing for those hired on. Joining the cast has turned lesser-known actors into award-winners and known actors into stars.
This season's ensemble includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, Aimee Lou Wood, Nicholas Duvernay, Arnas Fedaravičius, Christian Friedel, Scott Glenn, Dom Hetrakul, Julian Kostov, Charlotte Le Bon, Morgana O'Reilly, and Shalini Peiris.
As for that sought-after lived experience, White's imagination came to life, at least for two days, when the Four Seasons in Westlake Village became The White Lotus. Guests were transported from sunny Southern California to Thailand for a fully immersive experience that began immediately when travelers arrived at the hotel.
HBO partnered with American Express and the 269-room hotel, which was completely transformed from the signage outside to the lobby, restaurants, spa, pool areas, and individual rooms for the first-of-its-kind experience created by agency partners MKG, zakHill, and RQ.
Event-planning for this two-day extravaganza began two years ago, and it was meant to celebrate the third season's premiere, but was postponed due to the catastrophic L.A. Fires to coincide with the season's absolutely wild finale episode.
The finale episode of the award-winning series broke previous viewership records set for HBO for the third consecutive week with 6.2 million U.S. cross-platform viewers. The finale surpassed the penultimate episode's record by 30%, and this season's finale outperformed season two's finale, which had 4.1 million U.S. viewers, by 51%. Season three is averaging between 16 and 20 million viewers an episode.
As an avid White Lotus fan, this event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, unless they do it again next year. There was a mix of influencers, journalists, and members of the cast in attendance.
Immediately upon arrival, guests were able to participate in Thai cooking and mixology classes, meditation and yoga classes, and there was also the option to have facials or Thai Petal massages. Guests were also gifted with beauty products from Kiehl's and Supergoop!, as well as an array of themed items from CB2 and NEST.
Those in attendance had the unique experience of watching the highly anticipated finale with the cast and there was even a redo of the Full Moon party that took place this season, albeit not on a yacht, and instead at the hotel.
The Four Seasons in Westlake Village, which is north of Los Angeles, is a hidden gem. In large part, this is because the hotel itself has very little curb appeal. It is, however, a gorgeous oasis once you step onto the property.
For fans wanting to do The White Lotus tour, season one was filmed at the 383-room Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, season two was filmed at the 111-room Four Seasons in Italy's San Domenico Palace, Taormina, and season three was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, which has 71 rooms total, including 60 pool rooms and 11 residence villas. Rooms at Koh Samui start at $1,600 a night with villas ranging from $5,700 to over $13,000 per night.
Each time the show films in a location, that hotel sees a huge boost in bookings, and the area benefits from a spike in tourism. This latest season has Thailand's government promoting the region as a premier filming destination, having increased cash rebates for international productions to 30%. This initiative has already seen success, with more than 400 productions generating 6.58 billion baht in 2024, including The White Lotus and Jurassic World.
Conversations on social media also drive travel interest. Following season three's February 16 premiere, there was a 60% increase in social-media conversations about Thailand travel, with social-media analytics company Sprout Social noting nearly 1,385,000 mentions of The White Lotus and Thailand, with 99% positive sentiment. The show's influence, known as the "White Lotus effect," is significant, with more than 775 million impressions. In addition, having Manobal (Lisa of Blackpink) in the cast as Mook saw huge bumps in online searches for the resort and travel to the region.
These productions are a huge help to local economies, and following the devastating 7.7 earthquake on March 28, which struck the Sagaing region of Myanmar, the help is needed. The show hires locals, which is another benefit.
Fans are dying to know where season four will be filmed. With every season filmed at a Four Seasons, and the fact that there are currently 133 locations worldwide, it's anyone's guess, but if Mr. White is reading this, Africa, Egypt, or the Mediterranean would be amazing!
One thing is certain: once HBO announces where the next group of travelers will go, there will be an immediate jump in travel plans from fans all over the world.